Island



A. M. CUNHA.

WRENCH. I

APPLICATION FILED MN. 31. NHL RENEWED NOV- 13, I918.

1,307,485. Pate11tedJune24 1919.

iifialky W. 62/17/14,

$2M 'WW UNITED STATES ANTHONY CUNI-IA, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 11119 24 1919,

Application filed January 31, 1918, Serial No. 214,573. Renewed November 18, 1918. Serial No. 263,113.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTHONY M. CUNHA, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in renches, of which the following 1s a specification.

This invention relates to ratchet wrenches, i

and has for one of its objects to provide a plurality of pawls mounted in the head of the wrench and arranged to progresslvely engage the ratchet teeth of the work-operating member, whereby a very slight movement of the handle will cause the next successive pawl to engage a tooth and so permit the wrench to be operated in the minimum amount of space.

It is found in practice particularly in automobile work that very often the space in which it is desired to operate a wrench is so small that it is quite impossible to operate 7 the ordinary single pawl typ of wrench, but, by my improved arrangement of a plu-v rality of pawls where each one is set slightly in advance of the other relative to the space between the teeth, that but a slight movement of the handle is required to cause one of the pawls to drop into the next succeeding tooth and permit an operating action of the wrench in the minimum amount of space.

Another object of this invention is that the pawls are all mounted on one side of the Wrench head thereby reducing the transverse diameter of the wrench head to the minimum.

A still further object of this invention is to pivot the handle on the head of the wrench whereby the handle may be operated at an angle to the plane of the head so that it may be raised or lowered to avoid an obstacle which may extend into its path of movement.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved wrench partially in section showing the general arrangement of pawls relative to the teeth on the periphery of the workoperating member.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a detail of one of the pawls.

Fig. 3- is central longitudinal edge view, partially in section, of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a modification showing the handle of the wrench as pivoted to the head member thereof.

Fig. 5 is a detail of the pivot screw on which the pawls are mounted.

v Fig. 6 is a detail of the preferred form lof spring which presses the pawls into en- "gagement with the ratchet teeth.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates lthe head of the wrench, which is preferably somewhat elliptical in outline, and is proivided with a chambered portion in which is T rotatably mounted the work-operating member 11 which is provided with ratchet teeth 12 on its periphery. This work member is provided with a hole 13 through its center "into which the hub of the usual socket wrench (not shown) is fitted. I This member is provided with laterally extending hubs 14 and 15, the hub 14 fitting f' into a corresponding opening in the lower face of the head, while the hub 15 is engaged by the collar 16 which is threaded into the ,up-per face of the head, thereby operatively iecuiring this work-operating member in the ea This head is also provided with another chambered portion 17 on the side of the head Where the handle 18 is attached. In this chamber are mounted the three pawls 19, 20 and 21 on their respective pivot pins 22, 23 and 24, the same being pressed into engagement with the ratchet teeth by springs 25.

It will be noted that the spacing of theseteeth relative to the ratchet teeth is such that but one pawl is in engagement at a time with and in position to act upon the teeth of the work-operating member, each pawl being slightly in advance of the other relative to the teeth they engage whereby but a slight movement of the operating handle is necessary to cause the next pawl to drop into operative engagement with its tooth and so permit action of the wrench by a minimum movement of the handle.

I have shown three pawls moimted in this wrench head but any desired number of pawls may be employed.

Another feature of this invention is that these pawls are all placed adjacent the line parallel with the longitudinal axis of the handle, thereby reducing the transverse diaineter of the head to the minimum, permitting the wrench to be inserted and operated in the minimum amount of space.

It is found in practice to be of advantage in some instances, to pivot the handle to the head of the wrench so that the handle may be raised out of the plane of the face of the head to pass over some object projecting into its path of movement, which would otherwise limit the operating swing thereof. To accomplish this in a simple and practical way I have formed two arms 26 on the handle 27 and have pivoted these arms at 28 to the head 29, which head member is in construction similar to that above illustrated and described.

It has been found of advantage to set these pivots 28 on the line 29 which is slightly to one side or offset from the center line 30 through the socket holeof the wrench head, the pivot line being midway between the outer and inner opposite edges of the head so that the weight of the head will bal ance on the pivots.

A wrench of my improved construction is extremely strong and durable, and practical in its operation and by its use, work can be accomplished in places where it has hitherto been found impossible to use the ordinary type of ratchet wrench.

The foregoing description is directed solely toward the construction illustrated,

but I desire it to be understood that I reserve the privilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes to which the device is susceptible, the invention being defined and limited only by the terms of the appended claims,

I claim:

1. A wrench comprising a handle, a head portion carried by said handle having a work-operating member rotatably mounted therein said member being provided with close spaced peripheral teeth, and a plurality of pawls in said head arraiiged to engage the teeth of said member progressively whereby the effective operating motion of the handle is reduced to the minimum.

2. A wrench comprising a handle, a head portion connected to said handle, a ratchet toothed work-operating member rotatably mounted in said head adjacent the handle, a plurality of spring-pressed pawls pivotally IHOUHlI GCI lII said chamber one being set in advance of the other relative to the teeth in said member to engage the teeth of said member 'irogressively.

I11 testimony whereof I fllllX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANTHONY M. CUNHA.

lVitnesses HOWARD E. Bi -\nLow, A. F. MACREADY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

